After four days of discussion among the Allied Forces' military Big Shots, they finally settled on the overall strategic direction for this War against France.
Next, the Staff Officers of the various nations began drawing up specific operational deployments.
Naturally, the General Staff Headquarters of Prussia and Austria formed the core of the effort—Austria had followed Prussia's example last year and established a General Staff Headquarters modeled after France's, though it remained a subordinate department of the Royal Military Committee—while the United Kingdom still had no such institution and thus left the arrangements to Prussia and Austria.
The Commanders-in-Chief of England and Prussia emerged from the meeting hall side by side, courteously inclining their heads to one another before heading in opposite directions.
Only after Prince Hohenlohe saw that the foreigners in the corridor had moved far away did he turn to Duke of Brunswick and say quietly, "It would be best if you personally led three Royal Guard Infantry Divisions, along with the Hussar Division, and remained along the Cologne-to-Nassau line. If the French Army's defenses on the West Line show any slackening, cross the river immediately and attack Trier, the Palatinate, and other places.
"As for Switzerland, leave it to the Cadre Brigades and the National Guard. There probably will not be any especially fierce fighting there either."
Prussia's Royal Guard Legion was an absolute elite force, while the soldiers in units such as the Cadre Brigades were mostly peasants who had only recently been conscripted, making them comparatively weak in combat.
For Prussia, recovering the Rhine River banks was the core objective. Fighting in Switzerland would only help Austria recover Italy, so there was no need to exert too much effort there.
"I entirely agree with you." Duke of Brunswick nodded. "I trust that young staff officer